Azawakh Elegance: Sanna Sander – Dog Photography Awards Portrait Category Winner
Meet Sanna Sander, the Swedish photographer behind the captivating image that stole the show in the Portrait category of the Dog Photography Awards. In an exclusive interview, Sanna tells us the beautiful story behind the winning photo of Soleil, her beloved Azawakh, gracefully perched on a pile of wood. What began as a spontaneous moment during the daily routine of driving her children to school turned into a magical scene, with Soleil effortlessly embodying elegance and poise. Sanna recounts the joyful discovery of capturing the perfect moment, the sheer thrill of artistic achievement and the deep bond she shares with her four-legged muse.
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HOW DID YOU GET INTO DOG PHOTOGRAPHY?
I have always been drawn to dogs and images of dogs, As a small child I plastered my closet door with photos cut out from magazines portraying dogs of all sizes and breeds. As I grew up my love grew with me and I started collecting postcards with dog motifs, just to come across more images showing the huge variation in the dog world. And books. I had a big collection of dog breed books already at a young age and would spend hours studying the images. As a kid I took charge of the family camera and my childhood albums are filled with semi-blurred images of animals. When I got my first purebred dog in 2007 I decided to document his growth and life and invested in digital equipment. Before that I shot analog. One thing led to another and friends and acquaintances asked me to shoot their dogs. I also visited countless dog events, just to submerge myself in photographing different breeds and types.
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YOUR WORK « Ascending Serenity » EARNED YOU THE TITLE OF DOG PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR. CAN YOU SHARE THE STORY BEHIND CREATING THIS IMAGE?
It was actually a spontaneous photo. I had passed that big pile of lumber for a couple of weeks while driving my kids to school and thought it would make a nice setting for a small dog. I had no particular dog in mind, so one day when I had the kids, camera and my azawakh Soleil in the car I stopped to take a closer look. Soleil is a senior dog, nine and a half years when the photo was taken, and have been climbing and jumping onto everything and anything since a young age, on our walks, for a treat. It was easy to ask her to hold the pose for a moment, and then she jumped down for a treat. I looked at the camera and realized immediately that I had managed to take a very special photo. I took a snap of the camera display with my phone, sent it to my husband, called him up and said only one word: BOOM! I felt pure joy; that special feeling I always get when I know I’ve managed to capture the beauty of the dog in front of my lens. It’s the best feeling in the world.
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REFLECTING ON THIS PROJECT, WHAT STANDS OUT AS YOUR MOST UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY?
I actually think it was the moment I viewed it on my camera display. That rush of pure joy. And of course I am so grateful that people around the world appreciate my work.
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THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS, WHAT POSED THE GREATEST CHALLENGE FOR YOU?
I can’t think of any challenge, really. I photograph dogs out of passion and always try to keep true to myself and not lose sight of why I love doing what I do. I think it’s very important to stay true to your core passion and not stray from where you feel most joy. There’s been quite a few negative comments, due to Soleil’s sighthound features, with her tail tucked and her obvious lean stature, but since I know her and live with her every day I don’t take it to heart. She lives a great life and one should never forget that a photo is a frozen moment in a lifetime of moments. It tells a story, of course, but it will never tell the entire story. And good art should evoke feelings, always.
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WHAT DOES WINNING THE AWARD MEAN TO YOU?
I am proud and happy to be recognized worldwide for something I have been passionate about for the last twenty plus years. It’s also been wonderful to see the attitude change when I say I’m a dog photographer. Suddenly people around me understand that it is an actual thing and I still meet people coming up to me to congratulate me. I’ve gotten quite a lot of media attention here in Sweden.
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LASTLY, CAN YOU GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO ANY UPCOMING PROJECTS YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
As I rarely plan far ahead I’m afraid that will be difficult. I try to be in the present and find opportunities when they present themselves. As a mother of two young children and having four dogs and six cats it’s difficult to plan ahead anyway. I have however booked a trip to Nepal this autumn, not specifically to shoot dogs, but hopefully I’ll find some to photograph along the way.
I am what one might call a dogspotter, pretty much a crazy person who jumps on the brakes while out driving and asks people out walking their dog if I can photograph it. So to be honest, my next project is still to be discovered in the veils of the future. Meanwhile I continue collecting photos of different breeds, hopefully leading up to a dog breed book one day.
More about Sanna Sander: www.sannasdd.com
